


Piercing Red Gaze

by KaiMitsune



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Based on a Tumblr Post, F/M, I Blame Tumblr, I Don't Even Know, I Will Go Down With This Ship, i didnt know i could fanboy that badly, no idea what im doing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-25
Updated: 2016-04-07
Packaged: 2018-05-29 02:49:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6355924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KaiMitsune/pseuds/KaiMitsune
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nicks life has never been easy, but some of his more recent woes may be linked to deadly occurrences and the disappearance of the ZPD's newest and first bunny officer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Deal Gone Wrong

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Fright Night](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/184846) by thephantombeyond. 



> HOLY CRAP I DONT KNOW WHAT IVE DONE!! I saw a comic with amazing idea that suddenly inspired me to create this strange masterpiece. I own nothing of course, but if I did I would be shipping so hard that I'm sure I'd beat out the UPS.

Something felt off to Nick Wilde as he made his way through the industrial district of Zootopia. The district contained multiple warehouses and even factories that no longer run due to shutdowns or dangerous gambles that the factory owners found themselves in that often never panned out the way they intended, often leading to them losing their factory and potentially even crash the company. This place often reminded Nick that the city wasn’t as glamorous as people played it out to be and often would crush the dreams of many hopeful mammals that came here in an effort to move up in the world, him included. Shaking the thoughts away before he could revisit those dark memories, he focused on the general unsettling feeling about this sudden meeting with Jacob, one of his old fences. He often helped him obtain illegal movies and other items to peddle to the gullible citizens and newcomers to Zootopia but police have cracked down on a lot of the crime and individuals involved in it due to the events of the past few weeks. One of their newest officers went missing and this instigated a large manhunt for her and the people responsible. Some say the large operation was due to the fact that the officer was a bunny and fresh from the academy, making an easy target for the larger animals that may have taken advantage of the fresh faced rabbit. The disappearance made life much harder for Nick due to the increase in the amount of sting operations and raids that have taken down multiple friends and acquaintances that provided him with new items to sell as the ZPD made everyone much warier of any newcomers or deals. He had intended to lay low for a while and rely on using the funds he had saved up over the years with his hustling to keep safe until the commotion over the missing rabbit died down. Sadly, that was not to be as Jacob called him out of the blue and asked for him to come to a warehouse in order to talk to some members of a small gang that were proposing a deal to work together. Nick had been suspicious, obviously, but the tone of his voice didn’t raise any immediate alarm bells so he agreed to meet up with him at the usual place, a warehouse that was slated to closure due to the corrupt dealings of the lynx that managed it. Arriving at the warehouse, he hesitated for a moment as his previous doubt returned with a vengeance. Letting out a shaky breath, he put on his snarky persona before entering the rusted warehouse. Meeting dead silence and noticing nobody seemed to be around in the darkened warehouse, his doubt returned as it became increasingly difficult to keep his attitude from disintegrating.  
“Hey Jacob,” he called out, “Where are you?” Hearing nothing, he tried again. “Come on Jacob, you know how things are right now so get out here!” As the silence continued, Nick pulled out his cell phone and attempted to call him to get some answers. As the call connected, Nick could hear the ringtone for Jacobs phone ring pierce the silence of the warehouse. His ears twitched and swiveled as he located the ringtone, coming from the office upstairs. He walked up the metal staircase slowly, wary of any surprises that could lay in store for him. The ringtone ended at the top of the staircase. At the door, his apprehension grew as his common sense screamed at him to run as he hesitated entering the room. Pushing away his fear, Nick opened the door to a gruesome sight. Various mammals lay throughout the dim room, expressions of horror frozen on their face with blood as well as limbs scattered among the corpses. Nick stood frozen in fear, eyes wide and his breath coming in quick short gasps as he surveyed the scene before him.  
“Ho-holy shit!” he choked out, eyes locked onto a particular and familiar corpse at the far wall of the room next to the opposite door. The corpse he managed to recognize as Jacob. His body lay slumped against the wall next to the door, his face scrunched in terror and pain as his remaining arm clutched what remained of his chest that wasn’t crushed inward; broken and bloody ribs poking out at the edges of his chest. Nick didn’t realize he was screaming as he stared at the body’s condition. Ripping his gaze away from the lifeless orbs, he slammed the door shut before slumping down onto the floor. Pulling out his phone once again, he tried to keep his hand steady as he called Finnick. Nick tried to keep himself calm as he kept imagining the sound of someone sneaking through the warehouse while waiting for Finnick to answer.  
“The hell do ya want Nick?” growled Finnick, his anger palpable, “I’m in the middle of enjoying a card game and don’t wanna deal with your bullshit today.”  
“Finnick, please for the love of god,” Nick pleaded, “get your ass over to Jacobs warehouse as fast as possible and get me out of here!”  
“What the hell happened Nick,” he questioned, “Did Jacob leave ya hanging and need me to bail ya out?”  
“Jacob is dead Finnick!” Nick screamed, causing the phone to cause silent. Taking a deep breath, he continued to explain. “The whole group he was with is dead, they were ripped limb from limb and now I’m not sure if whatever did this is gone and I need a ride out of here. Now can you please get here?”  
“Goddamnit,” Finnick swore, “I’m on my way Nick.” Finnick proceed to end the call there, leaving Nick in dead silence as he waited for him to arrive. The sound of movement reached his ears again, causing him to stiffen up as he attempted to determine the source of the noise. Nick stood up slowly, every part of his body on edge and focused on finding what was currently hiding in the warehouse. Even with his natural night vision, he couldn’t discern anything in the darkness and that was making him panic. Looking behind him at the doorway, Nick debated his choice for a moment before another sound emanated from the bottom of the stairs, forcing him to open the door and put as much distance between him and it as possible. He froze at the doorway again for a moment but forced himself to move as he closed the door to the room. He traversed through the room as quickly as possible, not bothering to close the other door behind him as he continued his mad dash. Nick heard the door behind him splinter and break from some unknown force, motivating him to move faster. Nicks breaths came in gasps as he sprinted down the stairs at the other end of the walkway and exited the warehouse. Turning back to the warehouse he was surprised at what he saw just inside the doorway. A rather small figure, smaller than Nick, stood there watching him. The figure made a motion to step forward but Finnick finally appeared in a screech of tires and dust. Not wasting any time, Nick ran to Finnicks van and dove inside. He barely closed the door before they both roared away from the warehouse. Once the district was out of sight, Finnick attempted to ask Nick what happened, but he fell into the background as one detail became burned into Nicks eyes. The bright red eyes that seemed to almost glow as the figure watched them speed away.


	2. No Rest for the Weary

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GOD IT IS SOOOO LATE BUT I COULDNT WAIT UNTIL TOMORROW TO POST THIS! I love that people are enjoying this already and its very motivating, especially late at night when its difficult to think. Thanks everyone and enjoy the next chapter of Piercing Red Gaze!

The rest of the ride back towards apartment passed by in a daze to Nick. Finnick had given up getting an answer from Nick at the moment and he was thankful for the respite, welcoming the silence for a chance to gather his thoughts. He didn’t want to think about what happened in the warehouse anymore and wanted the chance to head home and forget about everything. Sadly, his mind had other plans with that and only focused on those events, playing the memory over and over again during the drive that seemed to last an eternity to him. A single question kept popping up in his mind over and over again.   
Why them? Nick thought, what did they do that made them deserve that? Did it have to do with the deal or was it something else entirely? He didn’t have much desire to delve into the mystery nor did he have a chance to when Finnick stopped the van in front of his apartment building. Looking out to find themselves parked in front of his complex, he tried to keep the goodbye brief and leave the van quickly but Finnick had enough of the silence and was determined to get some answers.  
“Nick, just what the fuck happened back there?” he questioned, attempting to get the fox to answer him. Nick stiffened at the question, not sure how or even if he wanted to answer the question. Letting out a sigh, Finnick pulled off his sunglasses and persisted in his questioning. “Nick, look at me,” he commanded, his voice becoming quieter in an attempt to calm down Nick. “What happened at the deal? Who killed them?” The question hung in the air as Nick attempted to find the proper words to explain the scene he stumbled upon that morning.  
“I…. I don’t know Fin,” Nick admitted, voice wavering as he attempted to keep his emotions in check. “I came to the deal expecting maybe some new merchandise to sell or potentially for even a sting operation considering how things were going, but what I saw…. it was…” he stopped for a moment as the image of Jacob flashed through his mind again, forcing him to stop and collect himself. “It was gruesome,” he explained, “People were ripped apart and thrown around the room like discarded toys. Something just decimated the entire group and they couldn’t do anything about it.” He stopped there, not willing to divulge any more of the story. One moment in particular just before Finnick arrived to help his escape grew larger and more prominent throughout his retelling. The bright red eyes from the creature at the warehouse that seemed to burrow deep into his mind made a return and made him question just what kind of animal could contain those dead eyes.  
“Nick,” began Finnick once Nick decided to abruptly cut off the tale, “lay low for a while man, you need to be keep an eye on your back because Whoever it was that knew about the meeting may know where ya live and what ya do.” Nick nodded, planning on what he would need to do to prepare for what could potentially be attempting to hide in plain sight for a long time before he saw Finnick making a motion in his direction. Turning, he saw that Finnick was holding out a box in front of him. “It’s a gun,” he explained, “considering what’s happened, you really need to pack some heat on you.” If he had done this any earlier in Nicks life, he would’ve turned him down immediately but now the idea of having some personal protection eased his worry slightly. Pulling off the top, he found himself staring at a .357 magnum revolver. The weapon was flashy with red paint adorning the various patterns that were traced with a golden trim.   
“Geez Finny,” he chuckled with a small smile adorning his face, “This is flashy, even for you.”  
“Fuck off Nick,” Finnick shot back, unable to keep a grin off his face as he watched Nick regain some of his personality. “It cost me some good cash so don’t you dare lose it when this shit is done, I’m gonna want it back.”  
“Come on,” Nick joked, “you can trust a fellow fox.”  
“Bullshit,” he replied, “But still, take care man. I still need a partner if I wanna pull off a good hustle.”  
“Likewise Finny, Likewise.”  
Placing the top back on the box, Nick exited the van in a somewhat better mood and hurried to his apartment. Ignoring the venomous looks from his neighbors, he secured himself in his apartment before slumping down in relief. Maneuvering through his ramshackle apartment, he placed the box onto his desk before collapsing onto the couch. Pawing for the remote, he turned on the tv in order to focus on something other than this morning. The first channel to appear was for the Zootopian News Network and it immediately made Nick focus on it the moment he saw the area being shown. The warehouse loomed in the background as the news reporter, a gazelle, described the gruesome scene that Nick had experienced firsthand.  
“Currently there are no leads for finding the suspects involved in the multiple homicides at the condemned RB & W warehouse and the ZPD would like to ask for help from the general public. If you have any information regarding the incident or the individuals in question, do not hesitate to call the police.” The channel then switched over to the current celebrity events, releasing Nick from his grip and causing him to immediately switch off the tv. Nick didn’t stay on the couch much longer, forcing himself up and moving straight towards his bedroom. He felt hungry, but he felt no desire to eat anything after today’s events. Passing by his desk, he paused for a moment before retrieving the gun from the box. Continuing on into his bedroom, he slid the weapon under his pillow before stripping down to his boxers and wrapping himself in the sheets as he slowly fell into an uneasy slumber.  
Nick didn’t know how he ended up back at the warehouse but he didn’t want to know as he continued his sprint across the seemingly endless walkway, hearing footsteps match his own and slowly gain ground. He could feel himself tiring out and losing speed but before he could think of a way to escape he felt himself trip over something on the ground and fell onto his face, dazing him for a moment. Flipping over, he couldn’t prevent himself from screaming as he saw what tripped him. Jacob had his mouth hanging open in a silent plea as his remaining arm gripped Nicks ankle and refused to relinquish its grip. Nick lashed out at Jacobs arm, kicking and scratching with everything he had to free himself. Jacob maintained a steel grip, his claws digging into his skin and drawing blood. Before Nick could make another attempt a slow hiss grated against his ears, forcing him to look upward at the source. He found himself staring at a figure whose form was shrouded in darkness that seemed to grow and ebb at random. Blood red eyes stared into his own terrified green eyes. A grin grew on the figures front, opening up to show row upon row of blood splattered teeth. The figure leaped at Nick, screaming in terror from what seemed to be his death.  
Nick didn’t realize he was screaming as he sat up quickly, awakening from his nightmare. His eyes frantically searching the room as he attempted to calm himself. He sat on his bed for a while, calming himself down from the horrible nightmare he had just experienced. Finally managing a decent level of self-control, he turned to look at the clock. He was shocked that it was about 8:35 in the morning, believing he had woken up much earlier. Not eager to tempt fate with a repeat performance, he got up from his bed and proceeded into the kitchen to create some coffee for himself. Taking a sip of the black coffee, Nick relaxed slightly as he sat down on his couch. He didn’t have time to get comfortable as sudden knocking made the fox jump slightly in shock. Worried about who may be at the door, Nick backtracked into his room, reaching under his pillow for the magnum. Feeling more confident with the weapon in hand, Nick approached the door and looked through the peephole. The sight of a blue uniform didn’t ease his worry in the slightest as he looked at two ZPD officers on his doorstep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Truth be told I'm a little worried about my conversations between characters. Sadly I haven't seen the movie yet so I am taking their conversations and motivations from other fanfiction artists. If it isn't true to character, let me know and I'll do what I can. But anyways hopefully I'll get another chapter up just as fast!


	3. Tipped Off

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another one when I should be enjoying some good sleep, god I spoil you guys LOL. Today was pretty long with Easter with all the family, it was pretty crazy. Managed to get this done tho, so enjoy!

“Nicholas Wilde,” spoke the smaller of the officers who was a greyish colored wolf, “This is the ZPD and we would like to have a word with you.” Well shit, he thought, just keep calm and it’ll go smoothly. They don’t have anything on me that I know of.  
“Alright,” he called back through the door, “Gimme a moment and I’ll be right there.” Turning back to his bedroom, he scrounged through the various piles scattered through the room before settling with some simple khaki shorts and a green hawaiian shirt, not bothering to grab a tie before letting the officers inside. The gray wolf positioned himself in front of the tv while his partner, a black panther, leaned against the kitchen island. Nick seated himself on his couch, curious and slightly worried about what the officers knew and what their intentions would be.  
“Hello Nicholas, I’m officer Carter and he is officer Vitela,” the wolf began, “we have some questions for you regarding the events that occurred within the RB & W warehouse.”  
“And why does it involve me?” Nick questioned, “I had nothing to do with whatever happened at the warehouse.”  
“And that’s where our problems begin Nicholas,” interrupted Vitela, “an anonymous tip was given to the ZPD that places the individual that lived in this apartment at the scene of the crime during that time and you are the owner, are you not?”  
“Yea I am,” he replied, “and as I said before I don’t have anything to do with whatever happened at the warehouse.” Nick was managing to keep a cool façade, but underneath he was feeling very worried and stressed out. The only person that was there with me was Finnick and I know he doesn’t snitch on anyone, he thought, so was there someone else that survived? Did someone follow me and Finnick after the whole incident? How did we not notice anyone following us? Nick quickly became ripped away from his thoughts by the annoyed sigh of officer Carter.  
“I’m going to tell you right now fox,” he growled, “We know you were there and none of your lying or sneaky tricks are going to help you in the slightest with us, so start telling the truth or things will have to be done the hard way.” Nick appeared unfazed by the comment, but underneath he was starting to become pissed off by the attitude the wolf was giving him.  
“I’m sorry but you’re just chasing your tail in circles,” snidely replied Nick, “I had nothing to do with this and you’re looking like bigger idiots by the minute.” This seemed to set off officer Carter, who stomped over to the couch to stand over him in an attempt to intimidate him as much as possible. Before it could escalate any further, his partner decided to intervene.  
“Carter!” he commanded, “Step away from him, if you did anything it would hurt the case more than it already is and we need every lead we can.” Carter stared at him in indignation before backing off of Nick, whose grin seems to have grown wider with this new development. “Look Nicholas,” stated Vitela in a surprisingly soft tone, “It’s imperative that we get some info in finding whoever killed those guys and you are our best bet, so tell us what happened at that warehouse.” Nick was pleasantly surprised at the slightly pleading tone from the usual arrogance that came from the ZPD. He sat silently for a moment as he wondered what might happen to him if he talked about the events at the warehouse. His whole premise for being there had troubles with legality from the start and talking about what happened would only incriminate him with some kind of conspiracy charge.  
“Look guys,” Nick explained, “Like I said, I don’t have a thing to do with the warehouse. You’re looking at the wrong guy and you were just sent on a wild goose chase. I don’t have anything that could help you.” At this response the wolf gained a look of fury while the panther remained surprisingly calm, giving a slow nod to show he understood.  
“Thank you for answering our questions Nicholas,” Vitela said as he herded Cater out the door of the apartment, “I left my number in the kitchen. If you learn anything new about the case do not hesitate to give us a call. Any piece of information will help us out in this situation.” Nick nodded as the officers closed the apartment, leaving Nick to flop to his side in relief. Pulling out his phone he called Finnicks phone in an attempt to get some answers of how they knew he was there at the warehouse.  
“What do ya want Nick?” Finnick asked, “I’m a little busy and I can’t really deal with bailing your ass out again.”  
“Not yet Finny,” he joked, “I haven’t pissed off anybody important yet today.”  
“Good,” Finnick chuckled, “cause I don’t need any more bullshit after yesterday.”  
“Finnick,” Nick began as he rifled through his refrigerator, “did you see anyone following us out of the warehouse?”  
“No I haven’t,” he answered, “I didn’t have any fuckers following me when I went there either. Why the hell are you asking now Nick?” Nick paused as he knew the reaction he was going to get from Finnick if he told him about the apparent anonymous individual that knew they were there was liable to make him lose an eardrum and give him unnecessary worry. Not telling him though, would only make things worse if the ZPD decide to pay him a visit as well.  
“There were cops at my apartment, they told me that someone gave them an anonymous tip that said I was there at the crime scene,” he stated, preparing himself for a very unpleasant reaction. He wasn’t disappointed as Finnicks next words came through in a burst of surprise and anger.  
“How the hell did they know that?! Who the fuck told them that and better yet, how the HELL did they know about the whole thing?!”  
“I really don’t know Finnick,” Nick explained, pulling out some leftover food from the fridge. His mind temporarily floated the idea that the red eyed mammal he had seen in the warehouse during their escape might’ve been the one to tip off police. That thought was shot down as soon as it appeared, Nick thinking that someone who could’ve been the one to rip apart a room full of people with weapons wouldn’t feel the need to even attempt to involve the police. “Just watch your back, they might want to talk to you too if they were told about you too,” he explained, shaking away the thoughts to focus on more important things.  
“I’ve always got my ass covered,” Finnick grumbled, “I’m gonna go Nick, I’ve got shit to hide and people to call before any cops start breathing down my neck.” Nick didn’t get a chance to reply as Finnick ended the call after that. Satisfied that nothing else needed to be taken care of, Nick reheated some of his food and relaxed on the couch with his meal to take his mind off things. As he sat there, he couldn’t help but run through some of the same thoughts he had yesterday. Why did they kill them, he thought, what did they have to warrant the killing? The officers didn’t mention if they found anything that could explain why they were attacked so maybe it could still be there at the warehouse. As soon as that thought appeared, Nick attempted to squish it and destroy it from memory. While he had to make some questionably half-baked choices, this one seemed much worse than the rest. Sadly, it didn’t fade away and continued to wear away at Nick as he attempted to ignore it. After a few hours, he threw up his hands in defeat and quickly grabbed a tie and the gun under his pillow, after some hesitation. Hiding the gun under his shirt, he exited his apartment and began his walk down towards the warehouse. Fuck it, he thought, There’s nobody there after the ZPD went through and I’ve got nothing to lose, what could go wrong?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nicks right, what could possibly go wrong? ;) This is becoming harder to write as I go on, not from running out of ideas oh no. It's coming from the absolute multitude of directions I could take this. When I get far enough I might start making little what if oneshots when I get the chance.


	4. Things Never Seem To Go His Way

The answer to Nick’s question came relatively quickly as he noticed a police car making frequent appearances during his walk, leading him to understand that he was being watched for any suspicious activity and he needed to get away from them before he could continue to the warehouse. Passing through Sahara Square, a sly grin grew on his face as his solution appeared before him in the form of the general populace of Zootopia. Nick began weaving in and out of the crowds in an attempt to disappear from sight. After weaving around a particularly large hippo, he looked back at where he had last seen the car and he saw the officers that had interviewed him earlier come out of the vehicle and move into the crowd in an attempt to find him. Capitalizing on his advantage, he slipped into a nearby alleyway and took refuge behind one of the various dumpsters in the alley. He stayed as quiet as possible, ears swiveling around various directions as he listened for any signs that they had found him and were following him into the alley. Several minutes had passed before he was satisfied that the officers were no longer following him and dove into the crowds as quickly as possible.

_Alright, new plan_ , he thought, _might want to hold off on the whole exploring business for now with Twiddle Dee and Twiddle Dumbass on my trail. Definitely will be better to wait until it hits nighttime for any chance of checking the place out undisturbed._ Knowing that heading back home would only cause more problems since they probably had people watching for him to return, Nick decided to slip into one of the smaller diners that dot the square. Taking a booth near the back, he settled in for a long wait by pulling out his phone to distract himself with Muzzlebook and Crossy Road.

Nick was mostly ignored by the other customers and even by the staff at the restaurant, being visited once or twice by a severely disinterested zebra that barely paid attention to his order. Enjoying a cup of coffee and a few muffins, He whittled the time away slowly with his phone in an attempt to smooth his nerves about what he planned to do and of the officers who were currently searching for him. The moment the sun dipped below the horizon Nick exited the diner, leaving a wad of crumpled bills at his booth. Looking over Sahara Square slowly, he deduced that there were no officers watching for him and took off in a brisk walking pace back towards the warehouse. He frequently cut through the various alleyways on his way, ensuring that anyone following him would stand out more prominently among the other denizens. Nick’s luck seemed to hold strong as the rest of his trip remained relatively peaceful until he reached the familiar warehouse once again.

He felt a familiar fear creep up his spine again as he entered the dark warehouse. No matter how much he tried to push it out of his mind, it remained as a small nagging voice in the back of his head as he traveled up the stairs to the room where he had found the bodies. Entering the room, he noticed that a trace scent of cleaning chemicals still lingered from when they had cleaned the room thoroughly of any traces of the incident. At first glance the room seemed to contain no answers as to the reasoning behind the attack but Nick was determined to find something. He rifled through cabinets and drawers, searching for any evidence or hidden clues that the ZPD could have missed. About half an hour had passed before he had given up finding anything in the room, slamming his face against a painting on the wall in defeat. He almost immediately recoiled from the action, surprised from the toughness of the material behind the painting.

Suddenly, an idea began to form in Nick’s mind as he stared at the painting. He attempted to remove it but found to his surprise that it was lodged rather firmly into the wall. This only served to feed his suspicions as he felt along the edges of the painting, a claw sliding over a button hidden on the backside of the painting. He wasted no time in pressing the button, causing the painting to suddenly come free of its hidden restraints. Pulling the painting to the side revealed the insides of a safe with a few items seemed to make the situation a little clearer. Inside sat stacks of cash, some papers, and a clear bag filled with purple flowers. Nick was confused about the flowers, the other items made sense. People went crazy over money all the time and the papers probably had something to do with that too. But the flowers, they weren’t familiar to Nick and seemed like a random addition to the group of items. Focusing on the flowers, Nick didn’t notice the sound of footsteps as a figure entered the room. What Nick did notice, however, was the feeling of something smashing into the back of his skull that sent him on an express trip to the land of unconsciousness.

Returning to the land of consciousness was an extremely bumpy ride for Nick with first dealing with the throbbing pain at the back of his head and the second dealing with the fact that he had been handcuffed. _Oh great, I’m stuck in what looks to be a trunk of a car_ , Nick thought, _so much for trying to look for clues quietly when I can’t pay enough attention to notice someone coming to knock me out cold_. Knowing that beating himself up won’t change anything, Nick endured the arduous and bumpy ride as groped in the absolute darkness for anything that could help him. Due to the small space and his current position, he was unable to search very well before the ride came to a sudden lurching halt.

He was pulled out of the trunk moments later, eyes squinted against the sudden exposure to light. As his eyes adjusted, he could see he was being dragged around the inside of a building with an almost hospital like aesthetic. Nick was surprised at this development, expecting something much dirtier and less sophisticated. Looking over at who was dragging him around, he almost chuckled as he identified the animal to be a sheep of all things. The entertainment was cut short however, when they stopped in front of a doorway and he was unceremoniously thrown into an empty room. Pulling himself upward to a sitting position, Nick focused on speakers located to his left that crackled to life.  
“Glad you could join us Nicholas,” said the voice, “We would’ve liked a simpler approach but gaining another subject always helps our research so I can’t complain.”

“Glad I could help and I really enjoyed the ride, so smooth I couldn’t even tell we were moving,” came the smarmy reply, “So why the hell am I here?”

“Well, you happened to be an accident,” the voice revealed, “you were in the wrong place at the wrong time. We were simply retrieving our sample and you happened to be in the way.”

“In the way of what?” Nick questioned, “What do the flowers have that makes them so important.” The voice chuckled, apparently enjoying the look of total confusion coming from him.

“Don’t worry, you’ll figure it out soon enough,” the voice explained, “Like I said before, you are part of the newest group of test subjects and you’ll get an up close and personal view of exactly how they happen to be quite precious to us. Hopefully you’ll survive long enough to enjoy the effects yourself.” At that the speakers were shut down, leaving Nick to his own thoughts as those words lingered in the air.

_Well shit_ , he thought, _things have only gone from bad to worse and now I’m not sure if I can get out of this one. Best to wait for a guard and attempt to overpower him. If it’s that sheep I could probably trick him, knowing how stupid they usually are._ Luck seemed to be on Nick’s side, as frantic alarms began blaring and the room was bathed in a red glow. A robotic voice then came on over the intercom to relay what was happening.

“WARNING, WARNING. CONTAINMENT BREACH DETECTED. CELLS 1, 3, 5, 7, AND 8 ARE BREACHED. CELLS CONTAIN TEST SUBJECTS INFUSED WITH NIGHTHOWLER SERUM.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's another chapter done, I've gotten a comment about adding more paragraphs to make the walls of text less imposing and I've tried to implement that somewhat into the story. Hopefully that makes things less of an eyesore, and boy Nick cant catch a break can he? Wonder how those subjects got out? ;)


	5. The End of One Life.....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long guys! School has been occupying my time along with work and I found a lot of time passed before I could start working on the story! Hopefully the next chapter will come along faster. Without further ado, enjoy the next chapter of Piercing Red Gaze!

_If this isn’t a sign to get my ass moving, then I don’t know what is,_ Nick thought, _but first things first I need to get the use of my hands back_. Falling onto his back, he pulled his knees inward against his chest in an attempt to make himself as small as possible. He then stretched his arms down the small of his back and out from under his body, grinning as he managed maneuver his hands the rest of the way to get them to appear in front of him.

_Hah!_ he thought, _still a pain in the ass to be in the handcuffs but I'm doing much better than before._  Searching the room, his grin grew as he noticed a vent located in the wall about two feet above him. Positioning himself underneath the vent, he leapt upward with arms outstretched. His arms reached about halfway up the vent covering before he fell back to the ground. He tried again, reaching closer to the top edge but still falling short. On his third attempt, he managed to have his claws latch onto the top of the vent. Invigorated by his success, he planted his feet against the wall and pulled back as hard as he could. The vent cover didn’t give, at first, but soon he could feel the top of the cover slowly bend back and give way. It didn't take long for the cover to break away, Nick sadly having forgotten that it would take him with it. Groaning in irritation, he pushed himself off the floor and scrabbled into the vent opening.

The vents were claustrophobic, even with Nick being smaller than most mammals it was still difficult to crawl through the ductwork with his hands still in handcuffs. Pulling himself along the vents was painfully slow, but he was managing to make progress. In the vent, he could hear screams filtering through a grating further along. Pulling himself upwards to it, he suddenly found himself looking over a hallway in complete pandemonium. The test subjects seemed to have complete control of the hallways, Nick watching as a tiger sprinted down the hall on all fours before launching towards a sheep and begin ripping it apart. Closer to the grate, he watched a pair of jackals fight over the remains of a deer, pulling apart the body in half during the bloody tug of war. The whole scene was aglow from the warning lights and klaxons adding to the noise. A detail that Nick noticed was that the animals that were causing the chaos were all predators that seem to have turned feral. The sight of the ongoing carnage made Nick gag, trying hard to keep himself from throwing up at all the blood and gore decorating the walls and floor. Tearing his eyes away from the scene before him he continued his crawl through the vent, with each opening being seeming to be as unforgiving as the last as no one was spared from the chaos that was quickly spreading through the facility.

After what seemed to be an eternity to Nick, he managed to find a hallway that seemed to be relatively safe. Managing to dislodge the grating after a few kicks, he pulled himself out of the vents and suddenly landing face to face with a corpse. He screamed for a second before he could clamp his paws around his muzzle and stop himself. Scrambling away from the corpse, he listened intently for any noise that would indicate that someone had heard him. His eyes widened as he heard snarling down the hall that was growing louder by the second. Getting to his feet, he dashed in the opposite direction in an attempt to put some distance between the feral animals and him. He searched the halls for an exit frantically as he maneuvered around broken doors, glass, and bodies that littered the hallways of the facility. In his mad dash, he nearly sprinted past a door that seemed to be left ajar with no damage to or near the door. Running inside, he slammed the door shut behind him before surveying the room. The room seemed to be a small lab, with no puddles of blood or bodies to signify that anyone was in here at the time.

Slumping against the door in relief, he tried to calm himself down until he heard a growl emanate from behind a desk. Positioning himself into a crouch, he turned to leave before he heard the sounds of animals fighting coming from outside the room. It seemed the feral animals from before were just outside and he couldn’t get out the room without being seen and ripped apart. Cursing silently, Nick started moving as quietly as possible, trying to keep a table between him and the source of the clicking claws on the tile as it moved around the room. The game of cat and mouse went on for a few minutes while the sounds outside seemed to reach a fever pitch, drowning out the sound of the animal in the room with him. As quickly as it started the sounds outside the lab stopped, alerting Nick to a now audible noise behind him. Whirling around, he found himself face to face with a fox. The fox was seemed old, his russet coat graying but that didn’t seem to slow him down as he leapt at Nick.

Both foxes fell on the floor and Nick suddenly found himself fighting for his life, feeling pain wrack through his body again and again as the fox clawed him over and over again. Nick, still in handcuffs, was forced to swing his arms in tandem in an effort to fight off the feral fox. Nick was soon forced to resort to kicking the feral fox off of him when it bit down on his arm with an iron grip. Mustering all his strength Nick lashed out and managed to force the fox off him, its teeth ripping away a chunk of his arm when it was dislodged. The fox shook off the blows and directed its gaze back towards Nick, who was crawling backwards weakly in an attempt to put more distance between him and the feral animal. The fox closed in slowly for the kill, a low growl emanating from its throat as it slowly advanced towards Nick. Nick found himself with his back against a counter, his hands slowly reaching upward to grip the countertop for a chance to get up. Reaching the top of the countertop, his hands closed around a cylindrical object that he pulled down to view. He found himself staring at a syringe filled with a strange liquid. Looking upward, he saw the fox prepare to leap and made a split second decision. When the fox leaped forward, Nick put the needle point forward and aimed the point straight at the feral beast.

Nick watched the aggressive look on the fox’s face change to one of shock before his remaining eye glassed over. Nick had managed to stab the syringe needle into the eye of the fox, taking the needle and syringe through the eye and allowing the needle to continue into the brain. He leaned his head back in relief as he felt himself slowly drifting off. He barely registered the door opening, his head rolling to the side to catch a glimpse at who was entering the room. He felt strangely peaceful, considering the circumstances and the fact that he was most likely not going to survive. Nick chuckled weakly as he watched a bunny walk into view, dressed in ZPD gear that seemed to be covered in claw marks but no wounds showed underneath. She surveyed over the room for a moment before focusing on him. The mirth disappeared immediately when he found himself staring at a familiar set of red eyes, causing him to almost miss the question that passed her lips.

“Can you get up?” she asked, her eyes and her voice guarding any emotion that could give away her intentions.

“W-who the hell are you?” Nick retorted, avoiding her question and trying his best to stay awake.

“You’ll get to know my name later,” she replied, “right now, you need to start moving if we want to get you out of this place.”

“Not possible Carrots,” he argued, “I can barely move and I don’t see a medkit on you, so all in all I’m done.” Nick tried to maintain a grin until the end, cracking slightly as he faced his own death. At this she stared at him more intently her blood red eyes seemingly staring straight into his soul as she seemed to debate something internally, her walls dropping for a moment to get a glimpse inside.

“No you aren’t,” she stated, her walls coming back up quickly as she moved next to him before falling to a knee, “You happen to be important and I can’t afford to lose this now.” Nick attempted a retort before gritting his teeth in pain as she gripped his shoulders roughly before turning him to face away from her. “I understand this may sound odd,” she whispered, her breath tickling the side of his face, “but just go to sleep.” Nick felt strangely calm as she whispered these words, nodding almost unconsciously as his thoughts seemed to scramble. Slipping peacefully into slumber, the last thing he felt was a slight pain emanate from just above the collarbone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BOY I JUST WENT THERE!! seriously though, I had multiple ideas of how this could go but I couldn't see the amazing duo having one be one and one the other(Reminds me of twilight and I just shiver internally) so I decided to go this route. I'm not sure myself how itll turn out so I'm flying by the seat of my pants with this.


	6. ..... And the Beginning of Another With Whole New Problems

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SORRY GUYS!! This chapter took so long to do due to school and other stuff coming through to keep me busy. I tried to make it longer to make up for it slightly. ANYWAYS, I hope you guys enjoyed this one cause I agonized over the dialogue due to my limited knowledge of their actual conversations.

Nick was surprised at how peaceful he felt when he woke up from what he believed to would be his last moments. He chuckled in slight disbelief at the whole situation as he looked himself over. He seemed to have been completely healed, all of his wounds disappeared and he felt in great shape. He was suddenly confused for a moment, wondering how he was completely healed but still in the same room and not in a hospital, coupled with the fact that he was suddenly free of his handcuffs. He quickly dismissed the thought as he remembered that he was currently alive and well and that’s all that currently mattered to him. The chuckling grew into full blown laughter, Nick becoming filled with relief at that particular thought for a moment before a pain in his neck caused him to clench his teeth in pain for a moment and rub the aforementioned sore spot on his neck. After the pain managed to subside he laid there for a moment longer, enjoying the peacefulness of the moment before he stiffened at the sound of someone else laughing as well, echoing his own laughter but containing a darker tone hidden beneath a thin layer of fake happiness.

The laughter felt hollow, ringing with the tone of someone who is coming close to giving up on joy in the world. It drew Nick back towards the past for a moment, memories resurfacing of someone close to him who laughed in that same way. She tried to stay strong through all the hate and prejudice she was subjected to but she lost her happiness a little bit at a time, finally breaking one night when she ended up jobless and both her and her son ended up homeless. She lost all hope by that point and decided to end her life, leaving her already traumatized kit alone, afraid, and resentful towards the world. Nick shoved those thoughts as far out of his mind as possible, focusing on who was laughing. Nick sat up on his elbows, eyes landing on the rabbit from earlier that was trying to keep him alive after he had been attacked by the feral fox. She had her head turned in his direction, eyes focused on him as her ears perked upward.

“Finally,” she sighed, “I’ve wasted enough time waiting for you to wake up, so let’s go.” Standing up as she spoke, she motioned for Nick to do the same but he remained seated. Nick wanted to know what was going on and since he didn’t seem to be dead and felt in peak condition, minus the occasional throb of pain in his neck. He also wanted to figure out what she did to him while he was unconscious, considering he didn’t know her and something felt off about her.

“No,” he stated, earning a glare from the rabbit, “first, I wanna know who you are and what the hell you did to me. How did you fix me up? While I appreciate not dying, being saved by someone with questionable motives that you don’t know why they saved you is not much better.”

“Maybe,” she mused, “but that isn't important as much as getting out of this place, then I might answer some questions about what is going on.” She turned away from him without another word and walked out the room, leaving Nick to his thoughts for a moment before scrambling after her. Exiting the room revealed to Nick a scene that was quickly becoming a familiar sight to him. The animals that once surrounded the room seemed to have ripped each other to pieces, with their bodies clustered towards one point in the hall. This particular fact felt off to Nick, finding it strange that they had clustered in one area. If they were fighting each other, they should be spread along the hall but instead it looks like they were all attacking one target. Seeing the bunny was nearly around the corner, he decided to file that fact away for later and ran to catch up with the rabbit.

Nick was soon in step with her as he followed her through the maze of hallways, avoiding anything that hinted at people or ferals still lingering in the halls. He kept quiet but snuck glances toward the bunny now and then, curiosity and worry running rampant in his mind as he tried to unravel the unnerving enigma walking beside him. He’s had his fair share of shifty partners, ranging from simple distrust to sheer hatred as he dealt with animals from every kind of beginning imaginable, yet this bunny was hiding something major. She was ZPD and she was most likely the one that went missing almost a month ago but that was all Nick had on her. Why did she go missing and why am I needed in this? What is she hiding? These questions and many more swirled around his head, providing ample distraction from the situation transpiring throughout the facility.

Nick was brought out of his melancholy when was gripped by the collar unexpectedly and pulled back against the wall by the bunny, her whole body tense, as she peered around the corner towards an unseen threat. Forced to rely on the bunny for a chance to escape, he kept quiet as he waited for the bunny to tell him exactly what was around the corner and whether it was ferals or some surviving scientists and security. He heard her swear under her breath before she turned to him with a frown adorning her features. Despite the situation being rather serious he couldn't help but smile slightly at the bunny with her pout making her look cute, Nick concluding that it was just a bunny thing of looking cute no matter what.

“We've got a problem,” she explained, drawing Nick out of his thoughts, “there's a lot of guys guarding the elevator and we need to get rid of them.”

“Well what’s the plan then Carrots?” questioned Nick, “we don’t have anything for a fight, much less assaulting the elevator.”

“There’s gotta be something here that we can use,” she whispered, “and seriously? Carrots?”

“What? I don’t know your name so you’re gonna be Carrots,” he replied, sporting a smarmy grin on his muzzle as they entered a vacant room they had passed earlier.

“Well my name is Judy Hopps,” she remarked, “and I’d appreciate it if you’d use it.”

“Nah, I like Carrots better.” She fumes slightly at this, focusing on the drawers they were proceeding to ransack for anything useful.

“Well then Mr. Fox,” she questioned, “How about giving me a name so I know who you are?”

“Well if you must know,” he replied, pulling lab equipment to the side as he said so, “My name is Nick Wilde. I prefer being called a devilishly handsome fox and staying alive, so let’s keep it that way.” He heard her snort in disbelief, a few choice words escaping her mouth as she hid a slight blush that appeared on her cheek. After searching every nook and cranny for any sort of equipment to help them, they turned back to each other empty handed. Neither were willing to admit defeat however, leaning against the island table as both wracked their brains for ideas. Judy watched as realization overtook Nick’s features, a sleepy smile creeping along his muzzle as she watched the gears turn in his mind.

“Well Carrots,” he began, “I’ve got an idea that can get those guards out of the way and we’ll be home free.”

“And what might that be?” she questioned, “There isn’t much we can use in this lab to get through them.”

“Actually we do Whiskers,” he explained, his sly grin growing as Nick watched her nose twitch in annoyance at the new nickname. “These kinds of labs have those little burners right? Well this place is pretty modern so let’s guess that they have modern smoke alarms. We trip the alarms, then we use the noise to disguise our escape through the ventilation system. That way they won’t hear us banging around inside of it, plus I’m pretty sure ventilation systems connect to the elevator shaft so we could then reach the surface.” Judy’s mouth turned into a thin line as she tried to search for flaws with his plan. The most obvious was the part of lighting the fire, but then again they didn't have much else in the form of ideas so she kept her mouth shut as she turned and began searching for as much material as she could. While she searched, Nick worked on removing the vent cover to prepare for their escape, surprising himself when the cover gave way in a single pull. Chalking it up to shoddy materials, he decided to drop it and begin helping Judy with gathering more fuel.

A few minutes later, Nick and Judy found themselves looking at a sizable pile of paper, labcoats, and some cotton stuffed into a pair of cupboards. Placing them in the cupboards was a last minute change, Judy realizing that the fire wouldn't last long in the open once the sprinkler system kicked in and they wanted it to last as long as possible. The fire started quickly, eating into the material ravenously as smoke billowed upward. Both found themselves drenched in a downpour as the sprinkler system activated in an attempt to douse the blaze, the alarm’s screeches through the room and the facility beyond. As the blaze burned strong under the cover of the tabletop Nick and Judy squeezed into the vent and crawled towards freedom, keeping their heads lower to avoid the thin layer of smoke beginning to form at the top of the ventilation duct. With Judy taking the lead they managed to crawl over the hallway and reached the shaft with ease, both noticing that the some of the guards had left their post. The shouting emanating from behind them signaled that they were attempting to put out the fire, roaring being heard over the shrieking siren signified that the feral animals were now in a frenzy from the alarm.

Kicking out the metal grating, Judy poked her head out as she looked up and down the elevator shaft. With the maintenance ladder on the other side of the gap, she sighed before sliding out of the vent and gripping the cross beams with ease. Poking his head out after her, his jaw dropped in amazement as he watched her climb upwards with acrobatics and flexibility that seemed more suited towards circus performers and a few less savory professions. Trying to calm the blush rising from his cheeks from the superb viewing angle, he took to the supports in a more careful manner. The climb felt surprisingly easy for Nick, increasing the pace as he moved upward with ease.

After a few floors Nick caught up to Judy as she stood against a set of elevator doors, a large 1 painted onto the concrete next to it. Digging her paws in between the doors, she forced them open to Nick’s amazement. He was given no time to question her strength as they found themselves in a reception area filled with scientists and police. Both stared at each other, dumbfounded, before the police suddenly pulled out their weapons.

“Freeze!” yelled a wolf officer, “Put your hands where I can see them!”

_Shit,_ was the simultaneous thought that crossed Nick and Judy’s minds, as both scanned desperately for an escape route. That was soon forgotten as a large buffalo maneuvered in front of the group of armed officers.

“Turn around and put your… Hopps?” came the confused question, the buffalo’s eyes bulging slightly at the sight of their missing officer. Judy gulped, any thoughts of escape shriveling up into nothingness as she stared at her boss.

“H-hey Chief Bogo,” she stuttered, “Long time no see?” His eyes narrowed at her, before narrowing even further at Nick as he looked him over.

“Cuff and muzzle the fox, he’s our newest kidnap suspect,” he stated, Nick’s eyes widening in fear as a rhino and a wolf moved forward to cut off his escape.

“Chief wait! He’s didn’t-”

“Hopps,” Bogo interrupted, taking a softer tone, “Listen, I know you think he’s alright but he isn’t. You are most likely suffering from Stockholm Syndrome and you need to calm down.” Judy only grew angrier by the second but before she could retort, her focus went back towards Nick. He had evaded both the officers attempting to restrain him and vaulted over the reception desk and bowled over everyone in his wake in a surprising show of speed and strength. With yelling and tranquilizer darts following him outside, he felt a cold wind whip at his body as he found himself standing in Tundra Town. Ignoring the wind and snow, he turned and began sprinting into the snowstorm beginning to brew. His mind focused on escape from the officers and escape from the one thing he’d hoped to never experience again. Becoming muzzled like a wild animal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Boy, talk about a surprise and Nick is getting ready to lose it! I really hope the dialogue turns out alright for you guys. I don't want it to come across as forced or unrealistic.

**Author's Note:**

> Wow dark stuff already right? Yea I know it's gonna be easy to figure out who it is but shush, its part of the story.


End file.
